Day One: First Impressions

Day One

The rules for the first day are quite simple. The men will check out Charlotte, then she'll scope out the bachelors on offer. After that, free will commences! 

At first sight, all the men except Prince Florizel are smitten. Robert's thoughts are momentarily conflicted by Aurelio's good looks.

The two Fae will have some ground to make up with Charlotte, who is impressed with the five other men. Fortunately for them, she knows chemistry isn't everything. However, let's just see...

Well, then.

Leon: You're pretty hot for someone who has to resort to a bachelor contest... or anyone else.

Charlotte: What? Sorry, I was entranced by your clean fingernails.

Florizel isn't giving up over a few silly bolts and strikes up a conversation. Lady Iden's chosen topic of the day is 'what to do with the men I kick out of the house'. For the only person who failed both sides of the checking-out, he's remarkably fine with her talk about a catapult.

Leon decides to pick on the prince, and I can't imagine it was an accident and not because he'd moved in on Lady Iden.

Leon: And just be grateful I didn't poke you in the eye!

But a little annoyance from Leon doesn't deter the prince from his purpose. He wins some coveted hang-out time with Charlotte, who is thrilling him with her discussion of siege engines.

Leon has two playful points. Two. If you don't see him or Avery in a picture, it is safe to assume they're having a pillow fight. It'll be interesting to see whether this budding bromance can survive.

Charlotte: But hangings are so cost-effective! I can tie the noose myself and everything!

Felix: Sorry, my lady, but hangings... aren't really my scene. Or something. Anything. Just don't talk about hangings anymore.

Thomas, having heard Felix's misgivings, sweeps right in to tell the fair lady what he loves most about castles: "They have courtyards where you can hang people!" Charlotte might suspect the timing, but she appreciates the enthusiasm.

Then, because everyone was queuing up outdoor actions, I unlocked the door to the fenced-in courtyard that was always there and wasn't just built to give them somewhere to play catch.

I wish I could say Robert was cracking a dirty joke about balls. I wish I could say that.

Felix: You know, your eyes sparkle in the sunlight just like they do inside when you talk about executing people.

Charlotte: Aww, that's sweet.

Robert lands the first back rub of the competition! He's really focused in on Charlotte after his initial confusion and is not at all shy with the friendly gestures.

The four who went outside venture back in just before sunset. Leon makes a beeline for Lady Iden and that shadow across her neck.

Leon: My hair can't handle being outside, but I thought about you the entire time you were gone. You were the only ship sailing on the ocean of my loneliness.

Avery: I thought we were friends!

And it's dark-horse Avery who scores the first hug! And he conveniently does it right in front of his disloyal pillow-fighting partner.

Avery: Actions speak louder than words, wouldn't you agree, my lady?'

Leon: I thought we were friends.

As the evening moved along inside, the behaviors start falling into patterns. The foursome of Felix, Avery, Thomas, and Robert swarm around Charlotte for several hours. Leon also pops in to make sure he isn't forgotten, mostly dropping 'sweet talk' and similar low-flirts, but he's not interested in being one of the mere crowd. The others seem content to admire and chat.

And so things in that crowd go along pretty well until...

First rejected flirt! Robert the Bold has a swing and a miss with a caress. Felix and Thomas are not pleased with him and seem ready to have him strung up or catapulted right out of the competition. Charlotte, of course, handles him herself with a strong finger-wag and an attitude.

Charlotte: Hands off, charlatan!

Meanwhile, Florizel and Aurelio have been hanging out together for hours. I'm very glad they're discussing road signs, because I'm 99% sure right now that one of them will be the one leaving at 7 a.m.

Lady Iden: ... and if we kill them here and keep their grave, we'll have spooky ghosts visiting us all night!

Felix: I love ghosts!

Lady Iden: ... then, I'll swing the sword straight down, and it'll be all over! We'll have ghosts for days!

Thomas: That does sound pretty nice. Please, tell me more.

Leon: I don't care what you're saying, just please keep talking.

Then, the party heads into their final formations for the night. Leon and Avery patch things up over a good pillow-fight, Aurelio and Florizel debate whether they ought to iron their clothes before they pack them, and the rest of the bachelors introduce Charlotte to the delights of kicky-ball.

7 a.m. finally rolls around, which means it's time for results!

Borrowing heavily from Van's Who Wants to Be a Prince Consort, this is the scoring equation for today:

Lifetime Relationship + (Daily Relationship x 0.5) + (Number of Bolts x 3) + 5 Points for Crush OR 10 Points for Love

... well, damn. I don't even have to do the tally to determine who is going home, but let's go to the scoreboard anyway:

1. Leon (67 Points)
2. Florizel: (65 Points)
3. Thomas: (45 Points)
4. Robert (43.5 Points)
5. Felix (40 Points)
6. Avery (27.5 Points)
7. Aurelio (6 Points)

I would say Leon is the clear front-runner here. I didn't have any rules about hanging-out limits, so Florizel managed to score big and then completely destroy Aurelio's chances. (After today, all hang outs will be limited to two Sim hours because, in the words of Lady Iden, I said so.) I'm somewhat doubtful he'll hang on to the second spot. Avery is not in a good position now, but it's not completely a lost cause. The lowest ranking men will get first crack in Day Two. But, alas, it's time to take care of some Day One business:

Aurelio: I'm sorry, my lady. He's just such a good conversationalist! I was only trying to be friendly, I swear, and then it was like he had me in a trance. A trance, I swear!

Charlotte: Honestly, I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to interact because, well, you are pretty good-looking. However, your partner in crime there at least had the good sense to butter me up with conversation before cornering you. If you had made even the barest of efforts to engage me, this might have ended differently. Take your things and go - and just be glad I decided against killing the losers.

Aurelio: A trance... I swear...

Coming up on Day Two: group and one-on-one activities!